ISLAMABAD: Pakistan made a strong start at the WSF World Team Squash Cham­pionship, securing victories in both of their pool-stage matches against Peru (2-1) and hosts Hong Kong, China (2-1) on Monday.

According to the Pakistan Squash Federation, Noor Zaman and Nasir Iqbal played pivotal roles in the team’s success, winning their respective matches against Peru before defeating Hong Kong.

In the match against Peru, Asim Khan lost to Diego Elias 3-0, with the scoreline reading 4-11, 2-11, 3-11 in just 21 minutes. However, Noor bounced back for Pakistan, defeating Rafael Galvez 3-2 in a thrilling contest that lasted 58 minutes. Noor won the first two games comfortably (11-1, 11-4) but lost the next two 13-15 and 11-13, before clinching the final game 13-11.

Nasir completed the win for Pakistan, beating Alonso Escudero 3-0 in just 23 minutes, with a dominant performance (11-3, 11-4, 11-2).

Pakistan’s next challenge came against Hong Kong, China, where Asim faced Alex Lau. In a hard-fought match, Asim was defeated 3-2, with the scores reading 5-11, 11-7, 9-11, 13-11, and 4-11 in 64 minutes.

Noor once again stepped up for Pakistan, overcoming Henry Leung 3-2 in 44 minutes. Noor recovered from a slow start, winning 7-11, 11-8, and 5-11 before claiming the final two games 11-4 and 11-6. Nasir sealed Pakistan’s victory by defeating Chi Him Wong 3-0 in just 31 minutes, with a commanding performance (11-5, 11-5, 11-5).

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2024